A2
by Kokesu
Summary: Sonic is helping a prized lab rodent adjust to the world, all the while trying to discover the deeper meaning to their existances. Chapter 6 up: A strange dream, a strange gem, what does it all mean? Knuckles makes his entrance!
1. A2:E1491514

A.2:E1491514

A long haired man enters the dimly lit lab, making is way toward a glowing tank. As he nears it he spots a young woman in a lab coat, immediately recognizing her as the chief scientist of the project, as well as the only one who had been assigned to it from day one. He walks up beside her and reads the steel label on the front of the tank. "E1491514 Species: Hedgehog Age: 17" The young woman stands at a control panel, reading the data scrolling down the screen. A bit of light shines off her name tag, which reads "Dr. Ashion."

"How is this phase of the experiment progressing?" the man asks, his voice resonating through the lab.

"Much better than anticipated, Director Lamoure," Doctor Ashion replies. She keeps her eyes glued to the screen. "She's responding well, as always."

Lamoure smiles slightly. "Perfect," he says, his gaze glued to the tank.

He could remember the day she was born--a tiny, tan, humanoid ball of fur. She had started out like all the other lab rodents. She was kept in a small life support cell until her quills grew in, at which point they started to run basic tests on her and the others. But unlike the rest of the subjects, who eventually weakened, E1491514 remained strong. She was eventually moved to a secluded lab for more advanced experiments. Over the years she stole a special place in Lamoure's heart. Now, seventeen years later, he smiles at the adolescent creature in the tank before him. Various cables protrude from all over her purple, quilled body, tan fur sprouting from her skin in those places where her quills do not. Each of her long, dark strands of hair is suspended in the fluid that surrounds her, oversized ears protruding from each side of her head. Long eyelashes curl out from her closed eyelids and her dark, animal nose is tipped with pink.

"My little Nion," he whispers. Dr. Ashion rolls her eyes. She had always respected the Director. An intelligent man, he had always been passionate about his work. His passion for E1491514, however, seemed to have become an unhealthy obsession. He had even gone so far as to name it. She knew as well as Lamoure that E1491514 had always been exceptional, but Dr. Ashion had never allowed her feelings to get involved with her work. She glances at the tall, well-dressed man staring into the tank before returning her eyes to the scrolling data. She does so just in time to see an abnormality in the system's feedback. She touches the screen, freezing it.

"That can't be right," she thinks. She taps the screen to set it scrolling again and the abnormality repeats itself, progressively taking over the data. Dr. Ashion taps at a few keys on the control panel, never taking her eyes off the data. Lamoure is brought out of his trance. The sound of typing during an experiment meant a problem--a rare occurrence with E1491514. Usually he wouldn't worry about it, but this phase of the experiment was far too important to ignore anything abnormal. Lamoure glances over at Dr. Ashion.

"What's wrong?" he asks, calm. Dr. Ashion curses silently—she had hoped he wouldn't notice

"I'm not sure," she admits. "The data is reporting increasing amounts of energy inside the tank."

"Well, fix it," Lamoure demands, his eyes back on the tank.

"I'm trying, but everything seems to be in order," Dr. Ashion explains, still clicking away at her control panel.

"Then it's a defect in the equipment?" Lamoure inquires.

"Impossible, all the equipment was inspected a few hours ago, and I just ran a diagnostic test to double-check. Everything is functioning properly. The only explanation is…" Dr. Ashion hesitates.

"Is what?"

"The only explanation is that the energy is coming from the test subject," Dr. Ashion states. Lamoure frowns.

"Dr. Ashion," he begins, "you know as well as I that that is not possible," he tells her. Dr. Ashion looks at the data to avoid responding.

"Director, the energy level in the tank is continuing to rise," Dr. Ashion says. "Regardless of what the cause is, the tank is going to explode at this rate. The echo of her words fades away and the lab falls silent.

"Do whatever it takes to reverse the energy buildup," Lamoure orders.

"Yes, sir," Dr. Ashion obliges, already knowing that she can do nothing. The two of them remain silent while Dr. Ashion desperately works at the control panel. After several minutes the data stops scrolling and a red message flashes on the screen.

"WARNING, ENERGY LEVELS DANGEROUSLY HIGH!"

Dr. Ashion gets to her feet. "Director, we have to evacuate, there's nothing I can do."

"We must remove her from the tank," Lamoure states, remaining motionless. Sirens sound around them, warning them of the impending explosion.

"We can't. Any disturbance to the tank will trigger the explosion," Dr. Ashion tries to explain. A computerized voice sounds in the lab.

"Twenty seconds to explosion."

"I'm not leaving without her," Lamoure states. Dr. Ashion looks at him before running toward the evacuation chamber, entering her personnel code upon her arrival.

"Ten seconds to explosion."

The chamber opens and Dr. Ashion enters, not knowing what to expect. As the door closes behind her she is enveloped in darkness. She feels her stomach lurch as the chamber drops deep into the ground. She is thrown into the wall as it races horizontally toward the main lab.

She pictures the Director--her co-worker and supervisor of many years--still standing in front of the tank. His decision to stay behind was not surprising, and she closes her eyes and tries to shake the thought of the explosion out of her mind.

"Five seconds to explosion."

Lamoure stares into the tank at his beloved Nion. "Nion," he whispers. She had been his most successful project, and he would have no reason to live if she was to die.

"Four seconds to explosion."

"I always knew…"

"Three seconds."

"You were…"

"Two seconds."

"Special."

At that moment, Lamoure witnesses a sight he had only ever dreamed of E1491514's lashes flutter up and two mysterious brown eyes stare back at him.

"One second to explosion."


	2. A2:Explosion

A.2: Explosion

Everything goes bright. Lamoure shields his eyes and takes a step back. He hears the glass of the tank shatter and liquid pours onto the floor. The light finally fades away and Lamoure looks at the shattered tank. He gasps at what he sees--nothing. He looks down at the floor and picks up a square of steel. It reads "Experiment 1491514 Species: Hedgehog Age: 17." Lamoure clutches he label and falls to his knees,. He pounds his fist into the floor and voices, "Nion."


	3. A2:Awakening

A.2: Awakening

Far, on the opposite side of the Earth, a head covered in blue quills rises up above the tall grass. He blinks sleepily and yawns before getting to his feet.

"Man, Sonic. You are one bored hedgehog," he says to himself. Ever since Robotnik's defeat he found himself with little to do. He'd had enough naps in the last year to last him a lifetime. Despite Robotnik's defeat, Sonic continued to patrol the planet for any problems. He rarely came across any. Mobius, as he and other Mobians continued to call it, had become a very peaceful place. Sonic walks casually through the grass, pondering where he will travel next. His thoughts are interrupted by a bright flash of light at the end of the field. He pauses and stares, wondering if it was his imagination. A moment later he sees the grass being bent outward away from where the light had flashed, and he is hit by a shockwave. Caught off guard, Sonic stumbles back, immediately jumping to his feet and racing across the field, air sucking in behind him with each swift step. As he approaches the spot he sees that the grass has been burnt away. He looks down into the clearing and gasps at what he finds-the body of a female Mobian. Her hair flows over her limbs, and although she looks like a hedgehog, Sonic isn't sure if she actually is. He kneels down to see if she's alive. He panics when he realizes she is not breathing. He shakes her a bit and at first she doesn't respond. He rolls her onto her back, hoping that she isn't dead. He sees a frown form on her face and she groans a little. Suddenly, her eyes shoot open and she starts to violently cough up a strange liquid. Surprised, Sonic backs away slightly. She finally stops coughing and lays motionless, her eyes barely open.

"Are…are you okay?" Sonic asks, worry in his voice. The girl doesn't answer. He inches toward her and pulls her up into a sitting position. He realizes that she is unable to move, which shocks him. "She seems to be in great shape," he thinks to himself. He supports her weight and looks her in the eyes. Her brown eyes meet his emerald ones with a look of confusion and fear. Equally confused, he asks, "How'd you get here if you don't have muscle function?"

His two final words trigger something inside her and a warm sensation develops at the base of her neck. Her body jerks and Sonic jumps in surprise. She blinks at him and then pulls away fearfully, not taking her eyes off him. She backs up to the edge of the clearing.

"You're moving!" he exclaims. His words frighten her and she covers her ears. She looks around in confusion, not knowing what to do. She looks down at her own body in utter amazement. "Calm down," Sonic coaxes. She desperately tries to block the sounds from entering her head. She feels an odd pounding in her chest and something cool and dry rushing in and out of her mouth. Suddenly, from somewhere deep inside her, an unnatural voice speaks.

"Adrenalin level has surpassed authorized limit. System shutdown will now commence."

Her pupils shrink before her eyes roll back in her head. She collapses. Sonic stares at her once again motionless body. Once his shock has faded, he steps toward her and picks her up, looking both ways before speeding out of the field.


	4. A2:The Midnight Inn

A.2: The Lust Inn

Sonic paces back and forth, his hand firmly gripping a half-filled Pepsi can. He looks at the unconscious girl.

"What am I going to do?" he asks himself. "I don't know where this girl came from, and I couldn't even get her into a hospital," he mutters to himself.

Sonic falls to his knees and smashes the can into the floor, causing a puddle of Pepsi to spread across the carpet.

"See what you get for trying to be the hero, Sonic? Nobody cares anymore! With Robotnik gone I'm just another juvenile Mobian. I could barely get a room in this pathetic hotel,' he complains to himself.

Sonic hears a stirring on the bed and looks up to see E1491514 coming to. He goes over to the edge of the bed and waits for her to wake completely. As soon as her eyes fall on him they fill with fear. She bolts up in bed and backs away from him.

"No, no. Don't panic," he says kindly, not moving any closer to her.

E1491514 continues to crawl backwards across the bed, eventually falling off it with a loud thud. Her head appears opposite Sonic's and her eyes lock onto him, analyzing his every move.

"Calm down. My name is Sonic. Who are you?" Sonic asks, doubting he'll get an answer.

The girl stares at him in confusion.

"Do you understand me?" he asks, doubting he'll get a response. She says nothing and he considers the possibility that maybe she speaks another language. "Me comprende?" he tries. "Wakarimasu ka?"

The violet-quilled creature continues to stare at him without an ounce of understanding, her eyes focused on Sonic's mouth. Sonic blinks and discreetly grabs the crushed Pepsi can, proceeding to roll it into the wall. E1491514 jumps, startled, and looks around in confusion.

"She-she doesn't understand what sound is," Sonic realizes. "You can't speak, can you?" he asks rhetorically. Sonic turns around and leans against the bed, his legs straight out ahead him. "How strange,' he thinks aloud. "When I first found her, she couldn't move. How on Mobius could anyone live to be her age and not know what sound is? Who the hell is she?"

Deep in thought, Sonic neglects to realize that E1491514 has climbed onto the nightstand. He turns around and spots her, automatically exclaiming, "Hey!"

E1491514 tumbles to the floor, startled, and peers at him fearfully once again. Sonic sighs in frustration.

In the room below a young woman angrily pulls herself away from her over and picks up the phone.

"That's it! I'm calling the front desk!" she exclaims and presses one.

"Hello, how may I help you?" the receptionist answers politely.

"Yes, I'd like to make a complaint. I'm in Room one-ten and there has been a great amount of disturbing noise form the room above,' the woman explains.

The receptionist checks the guest log for Room 210 and sees that it has been rented to Sonic the Hedgehog. She frowns.

"The manager is on his way to take care of it, miss. Thank you for alerting us," the receptionist says and hangs up.

"Thank goodness," the young woman grumbles and slams the phone down. She eyes her lover playfully. "Now, where were we?"

At the front desk the receptionist waits for the manager. She had not hesitated to call him after receiving the complaint from Room 110. Sonic the Hedgehog had entered with an unconscious Mobian girl and had been reluctantly rented a room. The Midnight Inn had no desire to have rapes occur on the premises. A man finally appears from the back and the receptionist stands.

"What's wrong?" he asks.

"Disturbing noise has been reported from Mr. Hedgehog's room, Manager Amyl," she reports, smoothing out the maid uniform worn by all female employees at the Midnight Inn.

"What room is he in, Elli?" he asks.

"Room two hundred-ten."

"Thanks," Amyl finishes and heads for the stairwell, up the stairs, and over to the door of Room 210. He takes out his master key and unlocks the door, pushing it open. He sees a blue male hedgehog making his way slowly across the bed toward a frightened female on the floor.

"Hey! No means no!" he yells at the hedgehog. Sonic stares at the man, surprised and confused.

"No means… What?" Sonic begins. "Wait, you think I'm-"

"You heard me!" Amyl interrupts. "I'll have no rapes on this property!" Amyl glances at the girl who stares back at him, wide-eyed and scared.

"Be quiet!" Sonic panics, "You're scaring her!"

"Oh, am I? Well we'll just see who it is she's scared of," Amyl states and makes his way toward E1491514. "Come on, miss. I'll get you to a safe place, away from him," he offers.

Much to Amyl's surprise, she backs away in fear.

"Get away from her!" Sonic positions himself between them. I only came here to make sure she was okay. Now that she's awake, we're checking out," Sonic tells the manager.

Manager Amyl frowns and exits the room. When the door closes Sonic turns and kneels down to E1491514's level.

"Are you alright?" he asks, knowing she can't understand him.

E1491514 looks at Sonic. Though the confusion remains in her eyes, he can see the animalistic fear disappear.

"Come on," he says and stands.

He grabs her hand and pulls E1491514 to her feet. Surprised, she falls forward into his arms. Sonic catches her and straightens her onto her feet.

"Careful," he warns and smiles.

He heads for the door with her close behind. Sonic helps her down the stairs and shoots a disgusted glance at the employees behind the desk as they pass through the small lobby and exit.


	5. A2:Speak

A.2: Speak

Sonic and E1491514 walk towards the woods. A cool, powerful breeze blows, rustling the leaves of the trees. E1491514 crouches down on the ground, trying to escape the odd force pushing against her, trying to block the sound of the leaves from entering her ears, covering her nose against the various aromas of nature being blown into her lungs with the wind. Sonic looks down at her sympathetically and places a caring hand on her shoulder. E1491514 looks at his hand upon her shoulder and the breeze begins to weaken. She stands up, her bare feet tickled by the grass, and waits to be lead. Sonic continues into the woods.

"I don't understand what's going on," he thinks, walking down the path. "It's as if she were born yesterday. She couldn't even move when I found her, and when she did it was so sudden; it seemed to surprise her even more than it did me. Maybe something triggered it," Sonic considers, trying to remember what happened right before E1491514 started moving. "I said something about muscle function," he remembers. "It's a long shot, but maybe that's it!"

Sonic whirls around and faces E1491514, excitement in his eyes. She stops gazing up at the trees and freezes, looking at him blankly. Sonic begins blurting out a string of phrases.

"Speaking ability, speech, verbal skills, um…function! Verbal function! Vocal function, um…communication! Verbal communication!"

E1491514's pupils widen as she feels the same odd sensation in her neck that she felt before moving for the first time. A wave of information enters her head and pieces itself together as a string of words.

"Verbal communication skills activated," she says in a weak voice. Shocked, she touches her lips and locks eyes with an equally surprised Sonic.

"You spoke? You spoke!" he exclaims. He immediately starts questioning her, "Who are you? Where are you from?"

"Laboratory subject E1491514. Species is hedgehog. Age is seventeen. Property of International Scientific Laboratory, northwestern branch," she responds impulsively.

"Property of a lab?" Sonic repeats. "You're a…What did you say your name was?"

"My designated identification number is E1491514," she repeats.

"Yeah, but don't you have a name?" Sonic asks again, "Isn't there anything else you've been called?"

E1491514 thinks for a moment. Her brain tells her that she has not been allowed a name, but as she digs deeper into her memory one word flickers into her mind.

"Nion," she states, feeling an odd sensation in her chest. She touches her fingers to her sternum and looks at Sonic.

"What's wrong?" he asks. "Are you okay?"

"I feel something that affects me physically when I say that word," she explains looking down at her chest. "I feel something here, internally."

"That would be your heart," Sonic tells her.

"Heart," she repeats. "Chambered muscular organ in vertebrates that pumps blood received from the veins into the arteries," she begins to define.

"No, no, not that," Sonic interrupts before she can continue. "I'm talking about the heart where you hold your feelings and emotions."

Nion searches her mind and cocks her head to the side in confusion.

"I have not been furnished with that definition," she tells him. Sonic sighs.

"That's alright. You'll learn soon enough. Now, come on. We've still got a little ways to go," Sonic tells her, the both of them getting to their feet.

"Where are we going?" she asks, finally able to voice her curiosity.

"You'll see," Sonic tells her plainly. Nion doesn't respond. The two of them walk in silence. Nion's eyes are eventually attracted to the ground due to the odd feeling on the bottoms of her feet.

"Foot," she identifies, reviewing the definition in her mind. "Two. Feet," she continues. She raises her eyes and looks at the back of Sonic's head. The ground irritates them."

Sonic smiles at her words, noting her effort to make sense of the world.

"You need shoes," he tells her.

"How do I acquire shoes?" she asks.

"You buy them," Sonic answers.

"Buy. To purchase. To acquire in exchange for money or its equivalent. Money. The official currency. What is the official currency?" she asks after verbally reviewing the set of words.

"It depends on where the store is," he tells her, knowing he can only pay in Mobian dollars. The two of them fall silent for the remainder of the trek.

They emerge from the trees into a grassy area that leads to a steep drop-off. Nion hears an odd sound coming from beyond the drop-off. She looks to Sonic for an explanation.

"What sound is that?" she asks.

"It's water. There's a river down there," he explains.

"Water. River," Nion repeats. "Non-threatening," she assures herself. She walks up to the edge of the drop-off and looks down. "Sonic," she says," I do not know of a word to describe this."

"You know my name? But I told it to you before you could speak," Sonic brings up, dismissing the latter part of what she said.

"I did not understand at the time, but it stayed in my memory," she briefly explains, still looking over the drop-off. "I want to know the adjective to describe this."

"Well, it's beautiful," Sonic offers.

"I am unfamiliar with the term," Nion responds. Sonic tries to think of a way to describe it.

"If something is beautiful it means that it gives you a good feeling when you look at it."

"I see," Nion nods in understanding as her eyes scan the water. She spots a bright round light rippling in the middle of the river. "Sonic, what is that?"

"The moon's reflection," Sonic tells her.

"Moon, reflection," she repeats, silently reviewing their definitions. "The moon is visible in the sky. The sky is above me," she tells herself. Nion looks up at the sky and spots the moon. "That is the moon. The moon ripples."

"No, the moon is round," Sonic corrects. "It's a sphere."

"Do you speak of another moon?" Nion asks with her eyes still on the sky. Sonic looks at her oddly and directs his eyes to the sky, gasping in disbelief upon spotting the rippling moon.

"That…it's…how," he stammers, not taking his eyes off the rippling moon above. He looks at Nion and then back at the moon. "Nion, that isn't normal. It's not supposed to happen."

"Isn't normal? Abnormal," she asks, looking at him.

"Yes," Sonic confirms, "Abnormal." Nion frowns for a moment as she looks back up toward the sky.

"It is beautiful and it is abnormal," she decides. Sonic stares at her for a moment and a breeze blows. Nion turns into it.

"Wind," she identifies, "Non-threatening at current intensity."

Sonic catches sight of the moonlight shining off of Nion's blowing hair and glances back at the sky.

"The moon is back to normal," he points out. His eyes fall down to the river's surface and Sonic jumps to his feet in shock. While the water had continued to ripple in the wind, a perfect, non-distorted reflection of the moon lies on its surface. "How…is that…possible?"

"Sonic," Nion speaks softly, a sleepy look in her eyes. "I'm finding it difficult to keep my eyes open."

"You're tired," he tells her, unsurprised. "She's been through a lot," he thinks. Sonic looks down at Nion and has her follow him into the tall grass. "We'll sleep here," he informs her, sitting down.

"Sleep," she repeats, understanding the term. She lays down on her side and looks up at him, a few strands of hair falling in front of her face

"Good night," Sonic wishes her. The blank stare he receives in response tells him that she does not know the phrase. "It's something you say before sleeping. It means you hope that someone sleeps well," he explains. Nion continues to stare, not fully understanding, until her eyelids close and she falls asleep.

Sonic lays back, staring straight up at the sky, and the light from the moon brightens his eyes like green jewels.

"What have you gotten yourself into, Sonic?" he asks himself. He glances at Nion sleeping soundly and smiles at the realization that he does not care. Rolling over onto his side, he shuts his eyes and drifts off to sleep.


	6. A2:Dream

A.2: Dream

"Sonic!" Nion calls out, her voice resonating off the walls. She runs down the stone hall toward a bluish glow and it opens into a large chamber of ice. Shimmering stalactites push down from the ceiling above, reaching toward the stalagmites straining upward from the floor. Nion shivers, her breath fogging as it meets the cold air. She looks toward the center of the room and sees the source of the light, an icy blue gem suspended in the air atop a pedestal. She warily inches closer to it until it is within her reach. She examines the jewel with her eyes, marveling at its perfection. Hesitantly, she cups her hands around it and pulls it toward her. A blinding light shines from within it and the chamber starts to rumble. Nion crouches close to the ground and looks around, her eyes wide with fear. A whirlwind is emitted from the jewel, accelerating and growing in diameter until it reaches the walls. The frightened hedgehog sits in the calm eye of the windstorm, crouching by the pedestal, as stalactites and stalagmites shatter in response to the storm's force. Shards of ice are sucked into the whirlwind as it whips violently around the pedestal, closing in on Nion as it narrows into an icy tornado. She feels the ice rip through her quills and a mysterious voice hisses a single word. "Chaos."

Up in the sky on Angel Island, a red echidna awakes from the same mysterious dream.

Nion awakes in a cold sweat, her heart beating fast. She gets to her hands and knees, looking around frantically for Sonic.

"Sonic!" she calls. She waits for a response and calls him again, her voice growing panicked, "Sonic!"

"Hey," the blue hedgehog responds behind her, placing a hand on her shoulder. He sees the relief in her eyes and frowns with concern. "What's wrong?"

"Where were you when I was in that place? How was I able to return?" she demands to know. Sonic looks down at her in confusion.

"What are you talking about? You've been asleep all this time," he tells her. Nion shakes her head in disagreement. "You must have had a nightmare," he realizes. "It was just a bad dream; don't let it get to you."

"Nightmare? Dream?" Nion frowns. "I do not know these terms, please explain."

"It's kind of hard to explain," Sonic informs her. "Dreams are things that happen in your mind. When you're awake it's called daydreaming. You see the images, but you can tell they're not real. When you're asleep it becomes more realistic, and it can be hard to tell that it's not happening."

"I believe I understand," she tells him after pondering his words for a moment. "But what causes them?

"Uh…I'm not really sure. This isn't exactly my forte," Sonic admits. "I know they occur during the REM cycle, though."

"REM," Nion repeats. "I am familiar with the term."

"Good," Sonic sighs, relieved not to have to explain. He looks at Nion with curiosity, wondering what kind of dream could have disturbed her so much. "Nion, what did you dream about?" he asks. She proceeds to describe it to him and Sonic sits in silence at what he hears. "That jewel, Nion, do you know what it was?" he asks after she finishes.

"I do not," she tells Sonic, shaking her head. "Do you?"

"I think so," Sonic says with a nod. "I think it was a Chaos Emerald."

"Chaos Emerald?" Nion repeats, trying to make sense of the phrase.

"That's right," Sonic confirms. "And if that's the case we've got to find a certain red echidna right away."

Far above, on a landmass in the sky, a red echidna sits motionless in the most important chamber of an old temple. Behind him, in the center of the chamber, rests the Master Emerald. He sits, guarding it as he has always done, but he finds himself unable to concentrate on his surroundings. Since waking from the dream he'd been plagued by a sea of questions that remained unanswered no matter how hard or long he thought them over. He sighs. "I just don't understand," his voice resonates through the chamber. "What was that?"

"Well, here we are," Sonic announces. "Angel Island."

Nion peers over the edge of the island, clearly overwhelmed by its nature.

"You okay?" he asks. Nion looks at him.

"This is a strange world," she says. "According to the information with which I have been provided, it is not possible for a landmass, or any other matter, to remain permanently suspended in the air."

"Heh," Sonic chuckles. "Angel Island is no ordinary place. It's the sanctuary of something very special," he tells her. "Now let's go," he says, leading them deep into the forest.

"Where are we going?" Nion asks.

"To a very important temple," Sonic informs her.

"Temple," she repeats, searching for a definition. "Flat area on the side of the head of some mammals, located here," she announces, touching her fingertips to the proper spot.

"No," Sonic sighs, wondering how to explain it to her. "The kind of temple I'm talking about is a place of great significance," he begins, looking ahead. He points to the temple in the distance. "See that? It's not a religious place, or devoted to any divine being, but it's sacred all the same. Within it is the manifestation of the most beautiful jewel in the world," he tells her, excitement in his eyes. "And its powers are unmatched," he continues. "It's something that everyone wants, but it's especially important to us Mobians," he hells her proudly. "One of our own is its appointed Guardian."

"One of our own?" she asks, puzzled.

"That's right, another Mobian--an echidna. He's a cocky, sarcastic, anti-social bastard, but he's still one of us."

Nion doesn't fully understand the statement, but asks Sonic no further questions as they continue through the forest at a swift, steady pace, Sonic always a few steps ahead. Nion looks ahead and sees the temple appear beyond the trees before them.

"Is that it, Sonic?" she asks. Sonic nods and they continue on toward it.

Minutes later, Nion looks up at the massive temple standing before them. She notices a dark hallway stretching into its depths.

"We have arrived?" she asks.

"Sure have," Sonic tells her. Nion frowns, wondering how they will navigate through the place after the light fades away.

"But Sonic, how will we see?" she asks.

"Don't worry about that," Sonic tells her, giving her a reassuring smile.

He grabs her hand and leads her through the entrance. He had grown familiar with the dark catacombs and could make it all the way through the temple with no problem. The sunlight vanishes as they walked deeper into the temple, leaving them in pitch black. Sonic feels Nion grab onto his arm.

"The temple will be lit after we get through this leg," he tells her.

He moves to the wall, running his free hand along it. He reviews all the necessary turns, not missing one as they continue on. As they make the final turn, Sonic extends his arm in front of him. When his fingers touch the stone door he stops. Nion doesn't notice, too focused on listening for the sound of anything other than their footsteps in the silence around them, and walks into it.

"Are you alright?" he asks. "I should have warned you."

"I am not injured," she assures him, studying the stone before them with her fingers. "The path ends here?"

"Heh. That was just the entrance," he tells her. "It's enough of a maze to throw most people off. And those who do get this far," he continues, running his hand along the door, "still have to figure out how to get through."

Sonic pushes in three blocks of stone in the rough door and it rises into the ceiling. Candlelight creeps into the hall as the next stretch of the temple's maze appears before them. Nion lets go of Sonic's hand and steps into the lit stone hall. The soft glow of the candles illuminates her body as Sonic steps in behind her, calmed by the warm, welcoming atmosphere. The three stones in the door behind them creep back into place and it lowers itself.

"Come on," Sonic summons Nion, walking past her. She follows as he guides her through the glowing labyrinth. They make their final turn down a long hall that opens into a large chamber at its end. Sonic can already see the familiar green glow. And Nion freezes, feeling an odd familiarity to the place.

"I don't want to go there," she tells Sonic. He turns back and faces her.

"What's wrong?"

"Let's go back, Sonic," Nion pleads.

"Wait, wait. Why?" Sonic asks.

"It's just like my dream, Sonic, I don't want to go in there," Nion tells him, sinking to the floor with wide, fearful eyes.

"Then just wait there. I'll get Knuckles and we can talk out here, it'll be fine," Sonic assures her, continuing down the hall.

"No!" Nion yells and gets to her feet. "Don't leave me," she pleads, following him. Sonic turns back toward her and almost falls back as Nion wraps her arms around him, clinging to him, her eyes squeezed shut. Sonic looks down at her in shock and places one hand on her head.

"I won't leave you," he assures her, feeling a hand land on his shoulder.

"Well, well, well, if it isn't Sonic," a proud voice chuckles. "Why don't you too get a room? Such behavior is inappropriate in a temple."

Nion pulls away from Sonic as he turns to face Knuckles, careful to remain hidden behind Sonic's form, peering over his shoulder at Knuckles, fear emanating from her eyes.

"What's up, Red?" Sonic asks, his voice lacking enthusiasm. "Why didn't you greet us earlier in the temple like you do most visitors?"

"None of your business," Knuckles hisses, glaring at Sonic. "I've got a lot on my mind right now."He motions to Nion, "Who's your girlfriend?"

"She's not my girlfriend, Knux, it's a long story," Sonic says.

"I hope you don't plan on telling it, because I don't want to hear," Knuckles informs.

"That's not what we came here to tell you," Sonic assures him. "We're here because she had a really strange dream last night." Knuckles glances at Sonic, a thought crossing his mind. He focuses his eyes on Nion's, causing her to cower.

"What business is it of mine?"

"I think it may have something to do with the Chaos Emeralds," Sonic tells him as Nion crouches a bit behind him, hiding from Knuckles's piercing gaze. "And if that's the case, it's more your business than anybody's."

Knuckles sighs. "Oddly enough, I had a strange dream last night, too," he tells Sonic. "It's been bothering me all day."

"You don't think they could have anything to do with each other, could they?" Sonic wonders.

"There's only one way to know," Knuckles tells him, his eyes still on Nion, unwavering. Sonic turns and faces her, taking her arms gently in his hands.

"Nion, I need you to tell Knuckles about your dream," he requests. Nion shakes her head.

"I wish not to. It gives me an unpleasant feeling to think about, an unpleasant feeling to be here," she tells them.

"I know," Sonic replies. "That's how nightmares are, but this is important," he tells her. He leans close to her ear and says softly, "After this, you won't ever have to talk about it again."

"Understood," Nion finally agrees after a few moments. She walks up to Knuckles. "It would be impolite to continue without a proper introduction. I am International Scientific Laboratory subject E1491514, but you may refer to me as Nion. It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance," she greets mechanically. Knuckles raises an eyebrow.

"Likewise," he returns. "She really must not be your girlfriend, Sonic; she's got way too much class. Although I'm not sure she's quite right in the head," he teases, making his way back into the chamber.

"Can it, Knuckles," Sonic shoots back, following and urging a reluctant Nion along. When they reach the chamber she takes a look around and finally calms down.

"It…it's not the same," she notices, relieved. Knuckles looks at her with a suspicious eye.

"What do you mean by that?" he asks.

"My dream…it began with a stone hall," she begins, looking back toward the hall leading into the chamber. "Just like that one…I couldn't find Sonic. I was running toward a glowing light, and when I reached it I found myself in-"

"A chamber of ice," Knuckles interrupts. Nion nods.

"How did you know?" she asks.

"Did it somewhat resemble this chamber?" he continues to inquire. Nion nods again.

"And in the center of the chamber…"

"There was a jewel," Nion and Knuckles voice simultaneously, their voices resonating off the walls around them. Nion and Sonic wear puzzled expressions.

"Knuckles? How-" Sonic asks.

"I had the same dream last night, and I can't stop thinking about it. I didn't even notice you two were here until she yelled," Knuckles tells them, turning to face the Master Emerald. He had been struggling all day to figure out the meaning of the dream with no success. His thoughts had been focused on where that chamber could be located, what that jewel could be.

"I have one final question," Knuckles announces. "In your dream, were you able to touch the jewel without consequence?" he asks, holding his breath as he waits for Nion's answer.

"No," Nion tells him after a few moments of silence, the frightening scene in her mind once again.

Knuckles exhales silently. He hadn't been able to either, convincing him that this jewel was unlikely to have been a Chaos Emerald. He wheels around, his eyes on Nion.

"You said that the story behind this girl is a long one?" Knuckles asks, sitting down. "Make yourselves comfortable, _now_ I want to hear it."


End file.
